Building a professional police identity based on a strong ethical commitment is as important as discipline and accountability.

There is no question that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is in trouble. Whether measured by low public trust or the evidence of organised criminal infiltration presented to the Madlanga Commission, it is clear that serious steps must be taken to turn the SAPS into a trusted, credible police service. But what should these steps be?

A critical issue is police integrity. Many reforms currently envisaged involve subjecting members to greater scrutiny in order to expose those involved in wrongdoing and remove criminally oriented staff.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia’s ‘police reset agenda’ includes measures to improve the SAPS disciplinary system and encourage the reporting of crime committed by members. Those convicted of offences involving dishonesty, corruption or violent crime, including rape, should face mandatory dismissal, he said.

The Madlanga Commission report, to be submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa in January 2027, will likely also call for stronger scrutiny of SAPS personnel through better vetting, financial disclosures and lifestyle audits.

Cachalia says the main purpose of the reset agenda is to ‘build a disciplined, professional and ethical police service that commands public confidence and supports honest police officers in carrying out their duties effectively.’

Considering the current allegations it faces, turning the SAPS into a trusted and respected service requires engagement with the foundations of policing. As much as it needs more scrutiny, the SAPS – and members of metro and other policing formations – also need strong moral leadership.

The SAPS Code of Conduct was adopted in 1997, making it nearly 30 years old and out of date. In its 2024 report on strengthening policing in South Africa, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) recommended measures to build ‘a more positive and professional police identity’ that restores pride in wearing the SAPS insignia and uniform. The ISS said ‘building greater self-respect within the SAPS’ was an ‘essential element of building public trust in the SAPS.’

The ISS motivated for ‘a succinct new SAPS oath or declaration’ to which members should commit. This should convey core principles that are meaningful to honest police officers. It should be clear that only police who are true to these principles are worthy of wearing the SAPS uniform and badge.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police model Code of Ethics emphasises a similar point. It requires officers to recognise that only if they are ‘true to the ethics of police service’ should they be entitled to wear the badge.

How a new oath or declaration is written may be as important as what it says. It should be concise and easy to understand. Police codes of conduct often refer vaguely to upholding the law. An exception is the 74-word statement of ethical policing principles published by Britain’s College of Policing, which foregrounds courage, respect, empathy and public service.

Alongside the 1997 Code of Conduct, the SAPS Code of Ethics, first published in 2011, should also be interrogated. For instance, it narrows down the principle of respect to respect for diversity. Britain’s College of Policing, by contrast, defines respect more broadly, linking it to empathy. It calls for police to understand the views of others and ‘recognise and respond to the physical, mental and emotional challenges that we and other people may face.’

This is not to say that South Africa should replicate codes adopted in other countries. The ISS recommended that the new oath or declaration emphasise ‘dignity and respect.’ SAPS members should conduct themselves, it said, ‘in a manner that is based on treating members of the public with respect, and that promotes respect for the SAPS.’

Building respect for the SAPS is connected to questions of integrity. The British College of Policing embeds integrity in an ethic of ‘courage’ that asks police to be accountable for decisions and stand ‘against anything that could bring our profession into disrepute.’

In South African policing, courage and integrity are also intertwined. The physical courage required to help people in danger must be combined with the moral courage to withstand pressure from corrupt colleagues to stay silent about their wrongdoing.

Studies show that police often see loyalty to colleagues as a moral duty. But the positive solidarity involved in defending colleagues who are in danger must be distinguished from the unethical solidarity of the code of silence that conceals police criminality. Recognising that providing support to colleagues is fundamental to policing, ISS recommended that police commit to ‘support their colleagues, but not at the expense of professional policing standards.’

Ideally, supporting colleagues should include being attentive to other situations in which police need help, considering that officers face a high risk of stress-related mental and physical ill-health. The duty of care that SAPS members carry towards the public should also extend to their colleagues and themselves.

A new oath will work best if used by police commanders in their day-to-day engagement with officers. It will not get corrupt and dishonest police to change their ways. But it can help honourable members embed the ethics of policing within the work, and reputation, of the SAPS. Rather than a burdensome obligation, a well-considered, concise new code can inspire police to uphold high standards.

Honest, committed officers are the most important asset that South Africa has for building an honourable and trusted SAPS. To win public respect, the SAPS should help such members maintain clarity about the standards they must uphold.

Written by David Bruce, Independent Researcher and ISS Consultant